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Feel the gap widening? You’re not alone. The chasm between rich and poor is getting greater. For lower-income families, growing inequality can be crippling to bear. However, there is still plenty of hope. With smart planning, fiscal discipline and a bit of ingenuity, struggling households can fight their way out of trouble and achieve a more stable economic existence. Here are five tips for securing a brighter financial future:

1. No Way to Payday Lenders:

Payday lenders are bad news. They prey upon those who are in difficult economic circumstances and only make things worse. Avoid the promises of a quick fix that may leave you struggling to recover indefinitely. If you do find yourself in desperate need of short-term cash, there is a growing number of not-for-profit lenders actively working to help lower-income families achieve a brighter financial future through small fast loans. Their motives aren’t hazy. These not-for-profit lenders want to help people attain financial security and a less stressful financial future by providing tools and services that will set them up for long-term stability.

2. A Little Can Go a Long Way:

Being on a lower income isn’t easy, and it can often feel like money is continually draining out of your bank account, leaving you with no savings. But, a little can go a long way. At the end of each week, set aside a small sum to transfer to your savings account. $5. $10. It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s something. At the end of each month, you will see the savings starting to build, slowly but surely. Saving is a skill that, once acquired, becomes a habit. Start working on that habit today and you will thank yourself in years to come.

3. Cut Out the Fat:

Much of our spending is based on habit. Make a thorough assessment of all your expenditures, and you will be surprised at how many regular items can be comfortably eliminated, freeing up cash for more pressing concerns or savings. Eliminate unhealthy items like cigarettes and alcohol. Make your own coffee in the morning and pack a lunch to work instead of forking out every day. Small measures such as these can add up to big money over the course of a year.

4. Avoid the Credit Card Trap:

The lure of the credit card can be hard to resist. It tempts you with its convenience and shiny ‘benefits’, such as frequent flyer points or gift vouchers as a ‘reward’ for spending a certain amount in a month. However, these “rewards” can quickly morph into punishment. For less affluent families, saying no to the lure of the credit card is a big step in taking back financial control and avoiding the trap of credit card debt. After all, they’re just pieces of shiny plastic.

5. Catch Sneaky Costs:

Bills can have sneaky costs in them that hope not to be discovered, like an extra charge on a heating bill or internet plan. it’s crucial to be aware of these hidden charges and catch them in the act. If you see an item on a bill that doesn’t look right, speak up. Don’t automatically pay it. Contact your provider and ask what the charge is for. Don’t let sneaky costs build up and impact your financial future.

Times are tough for many families all over the country. By taking control of your finances, you can ensure that you and your family are set up for a better future.

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In an ideal world, putting away a little bit of money from each paycheck and watching your savings grow would be enough to guarantee financial stability for your future. Unfortunately, today’s harsh economic climate means that this is far from reality – with the cost of living rising each year significantly, today’s young professionals are at an enormous disadvantage when it comes to personal finance compared to their forebears.

To enjoy financial freedom later in life, it’s vital to have a sound understanding of how to effectively manage your money. Here, we outline 5 common mistakes that many young couples and families make with their finances, and what you can do to avoid them.

Overreliance on Credit Cards

A credit card can feel like a blessing if you need a quick solution for unexpected costs. However, while you may have paid off your immediate expenses, the staggering interest rates and hidden fees may plunge you further into debt. If you’re in urgent need of money, a growing number of microfinance lenders are offering small, fast loans online with lower interest rates. This allows you to pay off your emergency expenses without putting yourself at increased financial risk.

Not Having a Backup Fund

Many young professionals are guilty of believing that having a reliable source of income guarantees their financial security. When considering your future, it’s always best to plan ahead, and envisage what you would do in an unforeseen situation that may threaten your financial stability. In case you become injured, unwell or lose your job unexpectedly, it’s a good idea to have a safety net upon which to fall. This may mean obtaining insurance or starting an emergency savings account with at least three months’ income set aside.

Frivolous Spending

When you start earning enough to have discretionary income, it’s easy to order takeout every night and not check your bank balance as much as you should. While it’s important to treat yourself occasionally, living beyond your means adds up faster than you think. You can take control of this by reducing how much money you spend on non-essential items. This can be as simple as limiting takeaway coffee to once a week, which can save you as much as $1,000 a year.

Not Considering Retirement

Even though you may have just entered the workforce as a young professional, it’s never too early to start thinking about your retirement fund. In fact, the earlier you start investing in your fund, the more time you’ll have to make the most of compound interest. It’s all too common for people to reach retirement age only to realize that they have nowhere near enough on which to survive. Through adequate planning, you can spend your retirement years stress-free.

Failing to Plan

One of the biggest mistakes any young professional can make is being complacent about their income. While you may have enough to survive on comfortably now, it’s crucial to think about how your current financial decisions may impact you in the future. Paving the way to security requires planning, and a great way of achieving this is by setting goals. Whether they’re short-term or long-term, having targets to work towards can help you keep your spending in check and give you a sense of direction for the future.

When it comes to ensuring your financial stability, every bit you do makes a difference. Taking control of your finances now brings you one step closer to living your best life in the future.

In a world where most things are run by tech, one wrong click can cause you a lot of headache. We’re not talking about accidentally sharing embarrassing posts on social media here. You can lose a lot of hard work due to accidental deletion of files or unexpected formatting. This is why tools like Mac Data Recovery Software are essential to your system. Data recovery software can help you retrieve important files and data that may be lost due to various reasons.

Project files that you’ve been working on for months or an important e-mail from a valued client can be lost due to a system crash or virus attack. Without a Data Recovery Software you have no other choice but to start from scratch. But worry no more because software for data recovery is readily available online. All you have to do is find the best one for you. The better news is that there are free versions available too. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can help you recover lost files without any charge at all. Here are some reasons why this software is worth considering.

EaseUS is fast and easy to use

It only takes three steps to find your lost files and that is to locate, scan, and recover. You can use a Quick Scan and a Deep Scan mode to locate your files. The quick scan automatically scans and detects deleted or lost data on Mac upon launching the program. After the quick scan, a deep scan will conduct an in-depth search for hidden or inaccessible files and formatted files.

EaseUS is handy for recovery and repair tasks

This software is fully compatible with MacOS. It automatically scans storage devices connected to your Mac and search for lost files. You may also use it for repair of different types of files with more than 200 formats supported. This is a great feature for people who use videos, audios, photos, and documents in various formats.

The Free Edition allows you to recover up to 2GB of data from your Mac based devices. However, the Pro version and with Bootable Media versions lets you recover as many data as you want. These two versions also feature a free lifetime upgrade and a free lifetime technical support when you purchase the software.

Don’t underestimate the value of data stored in your devices. Aside from work or business related files, your photos and videos store memories that can never be recreated once you lose it. If you don’t want to spend extra for additional software, then there are free versions of data recovery software that you can use.

Drilling for oil in very deep bodies of water is a multi-billion dollar industry. There is also a substantial amount of risk. Many things can go wrong on an oil drilling platform far away from shore. It is because of this risk that companies involved in this industry must take many precautions to ensure the safety of their workers. This means they need to be sure that they buy the latest and most advanced safety equipment that is currently available on the market.

Knowing who to buy this safety equipment from is crucial for any company that is heavily invested in deep sea oil drilling. Here is how you can go about finding the best safety equipment that can potentially save lives.

1. Talk to other companies that are involved in offshore oil drilling to find out where they buy their safety equipment.

You would be wise to get the input of other people who have worked in the offshore oil drilling industry for many years. These people will be able to give you a great deal of insight regarding which subsea safety system is considered to be the best and most advanced. Ask these people questions about the type of safety equipment that would be best suited to handle the specific task you will be performing. You might be able to get some recommendations for high quality equipment you were previously not aware of.

2. Do some research online to learn more about the various companies that produce offshore oil drilling equipment.

There is a wealth of info that you can get by simply searching online. You can find out about every major company and the various items that they manufacture. PRT Offshore is considered to be one of the best companies in terms of producing high quality offshore oil drilling safety equipment.

3. Find out what sort of warranty coverage is included with the equipment.

The safety equipment you buy will eventually need to be repaired. Make sure that the equipment comes with a comprehensive warranty. This will prevent you from paying for repairs that could possibly be very expensive.

Spending time with co-employees outside the work place is a great way to build interpersonal relationships in a team. This is why most teambuilding activities are held in remote areas away from the corporate world. One activity that can be great for team building is an ATV adventure. Don’t worry because you don’t have to own an ATV or know where to get Honda ATV parts to enjoy these rides. There are ATV rentals available in resorts or ATV parks that your team can use. Here are some ATV adventures to consider for your teambuilding activity.

Mountain Trail Adventures

Off-road ATV tours that go through nature trails can be fun and exciting for your team. Riding an ATV through a canopy of forest, hills, and shallow streams is already an adventure if you spend most of your time in a work cubicle. You can add a bit of a fun challenge in the activity by dividing your team into smaller groups and setting them out on a quest. Just don’t forget to remind them to be careful of the equipment or someone will end up paying for damages. It would be handy to have an insurance coverage or at least get a discount ATV parts in case you need to replace anything.

Beach or Dessert ATV Adventures

If you would rather have a relaxing adventure for your team, then an ATV tour at a beach or dessert should do the trick. You don’t have to worry about getting scraped with branches or getting stuck in the mud but the desert terrain can also be challenging. It has its own dips and slopes for you to navigate. Team members who are skilled enough may be up for an ATV race on the beach or dessert sand for added thrill.

ATV Off-Road Playground

ATV adventures on resorts and parks have varying difficulty levels. The advantage of ATV off-road playground is that they usually have multiple trails for riders of different levels. Find out what an ATV can do. This gives you the flexibility to use ATV rides for team tasks during the teambuilding session. You can pair a novice and a seasoned ATV rider in a two person unit and have them go through all the trails. This type of activity can help foster camaraderie among your employees.